Old methods can still have their day

Two banks of four, deny space between the lines. Stay disciplined, hope to pick up the scraps and pinch something.

It's not just lower league teams like Plymouth who employ it either. There's been plenty of Anfield visitors at Premier League level who have employed pretty much the same blueprint.

Plymouth's formation was more a 6-3-1 formation which denied them many opportunities to threaten Liverpool - their first half possession amounted to 20% and their huge 8,500 strong travelling support were giving it the 'Oles' when the completed a pass - but also denied the hosts much grass in which to create in and around the visitors' box.

It made for a rather insipid spectacle for long periods. It was all too tight but it had to be.

Alberto Moreno and Trent Alexander-Arnold offered some width from full-back but despite lots of huffing and puffing, the number of clear-cut chances were noticeable by their absence.

What we know in these situations is that patience is key and we had already seen at Burnley this season, that losing it can result in poor options and shots from distance which play into the hands of your opponent.

There were a few of those from Liverpool and while they kept going, kept probing, too often patience was lost.

The longer it went, the more Plymouth felt there was one to snatch, but in truth the chances at either end were few and far between.

This was not a game with very much quality to recommend it. Goalkeepers Loris Karius and Luke McCormick didn't really need to earn their money, though the Plymouth man was naturally the busier.

Lucas' 35 yard volley in the dying moments – well, well wide – rather summed it all up.

Read More

More on LFC

Young guns can't get it done – not nearly

They couldn't get it done this youngest line-up in Liverpool history, you know that by now. Not nearly to be honest.

At an average 21 years and 296 days they didn't just beat the previous record – in 1965 against Wolves – they smashed it by more than a year.

Klopp has form for this of course – the Exeter tie at the same stage last year is now the third youngest Reds line-up ever – but it was always going to prove somewhat of a gamble.

His eyes may well have been on the semi-final of the EFL Cup on Wednesday at Southampton and certainly on Old Trafford next Sunday, plus of course a not insignificant number of injuries to some key personnel.

It may have been 1959 when the Reds last lost to a team at least three divisions below them – non-league Worcester – but the near miss at Exeter last year showed it's entirely possible.

It could have happened here but the reds collected a damaging replay instead.

This side had a combined 33 FA Cup appearances between, and 15 of those for Lucas.

FA Cup goals? Just two, from Ojo last year and a rare Lucas effort.

It wasn't likely to be a festival of goals and so it proved.

The reinforcements arrived, first Sturridge, then Lallana and Firmino – it was a sure sign all was not well.

A replay was the last thing Klopp needed – in a month of Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea.

The youngsters will undoubtedly get their chance again but they'll need to do better.

Twinkle toes Woodburn will have his day

In a team full of youth, Ben Woodburn was the youngest - just three months past his seventeenth birthday.

Employed as he has been for the U23s wide on the left, his full Liverpool debut, he was a regular outlet as Plymouth sought to mass their ranks more centrally.

A nice ball inside the full-back released Ovie Ejaria after 13minutes, a good tackle for a corner.

Woodburn doesn't have the searing pace to run past people regularly but looks for clever give and gos and link-ups on the edge of the box to create his openings.

His twinkle toes were in full effect twice in the first period, first as he collected Can's pass, fooled a defender and prodded his effort goalwards but without enough power to beat Luke McCormick.

Then he twisted inside and out, beating defenders but eventually running out of room.

He started the second half attempting a 30-yard running volley – he barely connected but the confidence was there.

His preference to cut in on his right saw him fire just over and he looked as frustrated as anyone that Liverpool couldn't get a breakthrough.

Withdrawn alongside Ovie Ejaria on 75 minutes, he couldn't stop Plymouth joining Manchester United, Stoke and West Ham in preventing Liverpool score at home under Klopp.

Another step on the road but not the one he would have dreamed of.

Gomez will remember the day more than most in red

A forgettable day for most in red scarves or red shirts.

But not for Joe Gomez.

Not after 462 days of pain, work, rehabilitation, hope, belief and then actuality.

The 19-year-old defender returned to the Liverpool first team after an injury which has ended plenty of careers.

The journey back from cruciate ligament damage is always a painful one and for all a tie against Plymouth may not have set the pulsing of many racing beforehand – or indeed in the game - it will have been a very special moment for the former Charlton man.

He's watched as his rehabilitation partner Danny Ings led the same path, got his games for the U23s and burst back into the first team only for disaster to strike once again.

Everyone at Anfield will hope Gomez enjoys rather better luck.

He has all the poise and physical attributes of a player who can settle into a long term role but his journey still has a long way to go.

He'll have been disappointed to have given away a silly foul on the stroke of half-time which gave the visitors a rare chance to threaten the rather lonely Loris Karius

The sizeable Paul-Arnold Garita offered a physical challenge though he coped well before the latter's withdrawal

He wasn't able to stop sub Craig Tanner getting past him on the byline in the second period but was sensible enough to avoid any diving challenge and was there to block his effort when it came in.

Gomez looks every inch a player, now he must slowly turn that image into reality once more.

“Not the most difficult game in his life but he's an outstanding talent” was how Klopp neatly summed it up.

Origi struggles but he's got credit in the bank

Horses for courses they say.

And this was not the course for Divock Origi.

The young Belgian thrives on space, his pace giving him the ability to dash into space at speed and cause damage to defences at the very highest level.

Plymouth though weren't about to go anywhere.

Most of Anfield's grass near their goal was filled with a darker green Plymouth shirt.

They had a job to do and they did it well.

It was 'boring' as Klopp later suggested but he congratulated the visitors on their replay.

It was all too tight for the 21-year-old, though he's had his moments in some similar situations where he's come up trumps through sheer individual brilliance.

It never really looked likely today, his first half effort ruled out for a foul on Miller as close he came.

We should remember that's just his tenth start of the season with seven goals already tucked away.

It's easy to forget that he falls into the bracket of youngsters too, for all he had a decent transfer fee attached to his arrival.